Rose Levy Beranbaum replies: “If I could pick only one recipe in The Bread Bible it would be the Raisin Pecan Bread (page 404, and following pages). I adore the wheaty and nutty flavor with just enough sweetness from the small amount of honey and the raisins to make it ideal for both serving with butter for dinner or with a cheese course. Three of the most common mistakes home or professional bakers make when following a bread recipe are: 1.) adding salt before mixing in the yeast (which kills the yeast), 2.) over-proofing the dough during the first, second, and/or final shaped rise (this weakens the structure and results in a less lofty loaf), and 3.) using old all-purpose or bread flour whose gluten-forming protein weakens as it ages (and if not stored in the freezer, whole wheat flour will become rancid after a few weeks, resulting in a bitter-tasting bread).”